Senior history major Linnea Burnham received a Watson Fellowship to study artisanal cheesmaking in Italy, Switzerland, England, Norway, Brazil, and South Africa. While at Middlebury, Linnea interned with the Middlebury FoodWorks Program, completed a self-designed internship with a local goat cheese producer, worked as an assistant cheesemaker at a creamery in Addison County, and was a comté cheese apprentice at a fromagerie near the France-Switzerland border. Her thesis "Vive le Comte! Cheese and the Making of the French National Identity, 1880 - 1900" analyzed French terroir, agricultural reforms, industrialization, and imperialism between 1880 - 1900.

Joe Flaherty, senior history and political science double major, received a Fulbright to teach English in Turkey, and work on a journalism project with Turkish university students. Sarah Pollnow, class of '14, also received a Fulbright. She will teach English in Germany and work with disadvantaged students.

Joyce Mao

Associate Professor of History

Joyce Mao has taught at Middlebury since 2008. A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, she received her B.A., M.A., and PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. She specializes in recent American history, offering courses on the U.S. and the World since 1898, Pacific Rim relations, and Cold War topics. Her research interests lie at the intersection of foreign affairs and national politics. Recently, Prof. Mao's work has appeared in the Journal of American-East Asian Relations, and her book, Asia First: China and the Making of Modern American Conservatism, is forthcoming from the University of Chicago Press. Two new projects are underway: one on Cold War modernization theory’s relationship to Ancient and Communist China; the other on the diplomacy of U.S. immigration policy after 1945. She has been the recipient of grants and fellowships from the Truman Library Institute, the Huntington Library, the Bancroft Library, and UC Berkeley's Graduate Division.

Courses

Course List:

Courses offered in the past four years. ▲indicates offered in the current term▹indicates offered in the upcoming term[s]

FYSE 1452 - 1906 SF Earthquake & Fire
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Urban Disaster: The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake & Fire
On April 18, 1906, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked San Francisco. Although the trembling lasted only about 60 seconds, its aftershocks – including a devastating fire that leveled much of the city – were felt for significantly longer. Using scholarly readings as well as a mix of primary sources such as photographs, maps, letters, and memoirs, students in this seminar will examine the 1906 earthquake and fire from an historical perspective. We will use this episode of urban disaster and reconstruction as a lens to understand the built and natural environment, Progressive politics, and race relations in America at the beginning of the 20th century. 3 hrs. sem. CW HIS NOR

HIST 0206 - The United States & the World

The United States and the World Since 1898
This course serves as an introduction to the history of American foreign relations from the Spanish-American War of 1898 to the turn of the 21st century. Through lectures, discussions, and a variety of readings, we will explore the multi-dimensional nature of the nation's rise to power within the global community, as well as the impact of international affairs upon American society. In addition to formal diplomacy and foreign policy, this course addresses topics such as immigration, cultural exchange, transnationalism, and globalization. 2 hrs. lect./1 hr. disc. HIS NOR

HIST 0215 - America, 1960-2000
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Twentieth-Century America, 1960-2000
This course concentrates on the history of the United States from the emergence of JFK's New Frontier until the eve of September 11, 2001. In particular, we will focus on the ways in which domestic development shaped America's place within the international community, and vice versa. Topics to be considered include: the rise and fall of the post-1945 social welfare state, decolonization and the Vietnam War, increasing American investment in the Middle East, the emergence of the "New Right," the end of the Cold War, and globalization and its contexts. (formerly HIST 0368) 2 hrs. lect., 1 hr. disc. HIS NOR

HIST 0395 - Mad Men and Mad Women

“Mad Men and Mad Women”*
Are you a Don, a Roger, or a Pete? A Betty, a Peggy or a Joan? Using AMC's Mad Men as a visual and narrative foundation, we will examine masculinity and femininity in mid-20th century America. We will focus specifically on the connections between postwar mass communication and formation of gender roles, consumption, and cultural expectations. Our inquiry will then extend to recent discussions regarding the politics of historical representation. In addition to the television series, we will use a variety of both primary and secondary sources—including novels, magazines, sociological studies, and scholarly monographs—to achieve a multi-dimensional perspective. (Not open to students who have taken HIST 1017) 3 hrs. sem. HIS NOR SOC

HIST 0397 - America and the Pacific

America and the Pacific
If the 20th century was "America's Century," then it could also be deemed "America's Pacific Century" as interaction with Asia fundamentally shaped the United States' political, social, and diplomatic development. In this course we will examine American foreign relations on the Pacific Rim from the Philippine-American War to the Los Angeles riots of 1992. Topics to be covered include: America's imperial project in Asia, the annexation of Hawaii, Wilsonian diplomacy, the reconstruction of Japan after World War II, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, Richard Nixon's visit to Communist China, and the immigrant experience. 3 hrs sem. HIS NOR

HIST 0414 - Rds in 20th Cent Amer History

Readings in American History: The Cold War at Home and Abroad
This course will examine America's Cold War experience from both international and domestic perspectives. In addition to official U.S. foreign policy, readings will consider topics such as: federal state formation, immigration, the struggle for civil rights, shifting definitions of liberalism and conservatism, the military-industrial complex, and anti-communist campaigns waged by private citizens. Rather than divorcing the global and national dimensions of the American Cold War, we will explore their points of convergence and use them to complicate our understandings of the "postwar" era. (formerly HIST 0409) 3 hrs. sem. HIS NOR

HIST 0600 - History Research Seminar

History Research Seminar
All history majors who have not taken a writing and research seminar are required to take HIST 0600 in their junior fall or, if abroad at that time, their senior fall semester. In this course, students will conceive, research, and write a work of history based on primary source material to the degree possible. After reading and discussion on historical methods and research strategies, students will pursue a paper topic as approved by the course professors. HIST 0600 is also open to International Studies and Environmental Studies majors with a disciplinary focus in history. 3 hr. sem

HIST 0700 - Senior Independent Study
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The History Senior Thesis is required of all majors. It is written over two terms, with the final grade applying to both terms. The project is generally begun in the fall and completed during winter or spring. Approval is required to begin the thesis in winter or spring, and such students must still attend the Thesis Writer's Workshops that take place in fall and winter.

HIST 1017 - Mad Men and Mad Women

Mad Men/ and Mad Women*
Are you a Don, a Roger, or a Pete? A Betty, a Peggy or a Joan? Using AMC’s Mad Men as a visual and narrative foundation, this course examines masculinity and femininity in mid-20th century America. We will focus specifically on the connections between postwar mass communication and formation of gender roles, consumption and cultural expectations. Our inquiry will then extend to recent discussions regarding the politics of historical representation. In addition to the television series we will use a variety of both primary and secondary sources -- including novels, magazines, sociological studies, and scholarly monographs – to achieve a multi-dimensional perspective. HIS NOR WTR